ONLINE: 7-Day Retreat: A Wise Heart on the Cushion and in the World

Please note this retreat meets the requirements for participants in Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher certification program through SoundsTrue.com. Please read the Criteria for MMTCP Retreat Attendance Requirements.

Cultivating the Wise Heart on the Cushion and in the World: Practicing Mindfulness and the “Divine Abodes” (Lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity)
Buddhism's Four Divine Abidings (Brahma Viharas) are lovingkindness, compassion, joy in others' joy, and equanimity. These are the places where the open, awakened heart abides.

In this week-long retreat, on the foundation of insight meditation (vipassana) and the development of mindfulness (sati), we will learn the formal practices of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

We will also offer guidance for bringing these practices into daily life in the world, including in challenging situations — relationships, work, community lives, being present in a pandemic, or in our efforts to bring about social justice.

All of these Buddhist practices strengthen clear-seeing (insight) and wisdom, self-confidence, self-acceptance, generosity of spirit, steadiness of mind and heart, and skillful action.

This reveals our fundamental kindness and wisdom, in a culture in which heart and mind are often forcibly disconnected.

Core instructions in these practices will be offered during periods of sitting meditation, complemented by talks, discussion, meetings with the teachers, walking meditation, and brief daily guided movement sessions.

This retreat is suitable for those wanting a dedicated at-home retreat, much like a residential retreat, and for those with some responsibilities wanting a home retreat with many hours of formal practice but also time for other activities.

For all, there will be an emphasis on bringing practice both into our time together and our time away from the group. We have designed this retreat so that it can work well for those in the Pacific time zone as well as the Eastern time zone, and time zones in between.

Tentative Schedule (all times Pacific)
Sessions: Day 1
2:00–3:00 pm - Organizing meeting on practical and technical matters: Required for all retreatants
3:00–4:00 pm - Open time
4:00–5:30 pm - Opening session
5:30 to rest time. Home practice

Sessions: Day 2-6
6:00 to 6:45 am - Qigong and sitting meditation
6:45 to 8:00 am - Home practice
8:00 to 9:00 am - Instructional sitting, Q&A
9:00 to 10:20 am - Home practice
9:15 to 10:15 am - Practice discussions in small group (when assigned)
10:20 to 11:00 am - Sitting meditation
10:30 to 11:30 am - Practice discussions in small group (when assigned)
11:00 to 11:45 am - Home practice
11:45 am to 12:15 pm Sitting meditation
12:15 to 2:00 pm - Home practice
12:45 to 1:45 pm - Practice discussions in small group (when assigned)
2:00 to 3:00 pm - Instructional sitting, Q&A
3:00 to 3:55 pm - Home practice
3:55 to 4:25 pm Sitting meditation
4:25 to 4:30 pm Break
4:30 to 5:30 pm - Dharma Talk, discussion/Q&A
5:30 to 6:00 pm - Walking meditation
6:00 to 6:30 pm - Sitting meditation, chanting
6:30 pm to rest time - Home practice

Sessions: Day 7
6:00 to 6:45 am - Qigong and sitting meditation
6:45 to 8:30 am - Home practice
8:30 to 9:00 am - Sitting meditation
9:00 to 10:00 am - Home practice
10:00 to 11:30 am - Closing session
11:30 am END of retreat.

*All are strongly encouraged to attend as much of this retreat as one's schedule allows with emphasis on the bold sessions. Each retreatant will attend two group meetings in the week.

**Upon registering, please be sure to read and bookmark the Retreat Homepage in the auto-confirmation email for important tips on setting up your space and what to expect on retreat.

Pricing
This is a dana (donation-based) retreat. The Class Fee includes InsightLA’s administration fees only and it does not include compensation for the teachers. There will be an opportunity at the end of the retreat to give a donation or dana to the teachers. The practice of donating or dana helps continue the ancient Buddhist monastic tradition of teaching on a dana basis, dana being the Pali (the language the Buddha spoke) word for "generosity" or "giving freely."

Contributions help teachers lead a life devoted to teaching both at InsightLA and in other parts of the world, including communities without the means to donate. Gifts also allow teachers to take time for their own practice, ensuring that their teachings are continuously enriched.

It takes courage and faith (confidence, saddha) for meditation teachers to dedicate their lives to offering the Buddha's Teachings. They must trust that daily personal and family needs will be met through this practice of dana – an ancient Indian system of compensation that is generally less familiar in our culture.

REGISTER: insightla.org/event/cultivating-the-wise-heart-2024/2024-12-01-14-00/